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January 14, 2015 | Wall Street did its part to make 2014 the most expensive midterm election ever, outpacing its 2010 total and once again putting the bulk of its financial muscle behind GOP candidates and groups. Donors from the securities and investment industry, otherwise known as Wall Street, contributed a total of $184 million to candidates, parties and outside…

December 23, 2014 | It was the best of years or it was the worst of years, depending on your perspective. The Supreme Court’s McCutcheon decision and Congress’ green light allowing national party committees to set up additional accounts — and accept a lot more money — were the big legal developments of the year in terms of political…

November 18, 2014 | The Ron Paul presidential campaign of 2012 is not over. In fact, the legal entity that controlled the campaign had $576,000 in the bank on Sept. 30 — a substantial sum for a White House bid that effectively ended two-and-a-half years ago. Leftover campaign cash can be used for a variety of purposes, but since August,…

October 29, 2014 | This Center for Responsive Politics report is part of #Money14, a series of independent reports exposing the role of money in American politics. Join us for an event around the fifth anniversary of Citizens United to hear more about the participating organizations’ innovative research and work together for a more inclusive, transparent, and participatory democracy.…

October 24, 2014 | After spending record amounts on lobbying earlier this year, the troubled National Collegiate Athletic Association is now going the whole nine yards to round up support in Washington. During the second quarter, the association had hired new hands to lobby on its behalf for the first time since 1998. It paid $90,000 to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, hiring some…

September 24, 2014 | Fund for Freedom, a super PAC formed in the dead of winter in 2012, had a short life and a singular purpose. Barely more than a week before the election, it dropped $670,000 on TV ads praising Hawaii GOP Senate candidate Linda Lingle and attacking her opponent, the group’s only election expenditure of the cycle.…

September 10, 2014 | His victory last night in New Hampshire’s GOP primary means Scott Brown will continue to catch flak for moving from Massachusetts to try to take Democrat Jeanne Shaheen‘s Senate seat. Shaheen has been working hard to tag Brown with the carpetbagger label. But the reality is that almost all of the fuel for this fight…

September 8, 2014 | Rep. John Tierney of Massachusetts once again is expected to face a struggle on Nov. 4 in his bid to return to the Capitol — that is, if he even makes it to that ballot. First, he has to wrangle the Democratic nomination from a tough challenger in Tuesday’s primary: former Marine Seth Moulton. In some ways, this…

July 18, 2014 | Recent upheaval in the tobacco lobbying world comes simultaneously with the announcement that two giant cigarette producers– Reynolds American and Lorillard Inc — had agreed on a $27.4 billion merger. As news of the potential deal was breaking, a throng of Lorrillard lobbyists defected from Dickstein Shapiro to set up shop at Greenberg Traurig LLP,…

May 16, 2014 | Matt Bevin was considered, at one time, a possibly serious threat to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). No more: When Republican voters go to the polls on Tuesday to select their nominee, McConnell will likely win by a wide margin. Still, the early threat froom Bevin has helped push fundraising in the race sky-high. The two GOP…

February 19, 2014 | Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is about to step into the chairmanship for the Senate Committee on Finance, while Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) will take his place as chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Who are their biggest donors?

January 30, 2014 | Waxman, a champion of the health care overhaul and bane of the tobacco industry, calls it quits. Like his fellow retiring lawmakers, he's leaving some money on the table that may benefit other candidates.

May 3, 2013 | The candidates facing off in Tuesday's special election in South Carolina have roughly the same amount of money at their disposal. But the outside spending in the race -- fueled by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC -- heavily favors Colbert Busch.

April 23, 2013 | With the Montana Democrat's departure, Capitol Hill loses a prodigious fundraiser, and one who wasn't embarrassed about his close ties to lobbyists: They provided him more than $1 million in contributions since 1990.

March 20, 2013 | Spending on lobbying as well as the number of active lobbyists was down in 2012. But nearly half of lobbyists who were active in 2011 but reported no lobbying in 2012 continued to work for the same employers -- suggesting that many have simply avoided the reporting limits while still contributing to lobbying efforts.

March 1, 2013 | With the possible opening of a new horse slaughterhouse, we look at lobbying on the issue. Also, Rep. Keith Ellison's in a throwdown with Sean Hannity, but it's probably a plus for the lawmaker.

January 29, 2013 | Lobbying in Washington declined for the second straight year, to its lowest level since 2007. Wall Street, insurance, lawyers and law firms and other industries all took hits, but none more so than education. Patton Boggs remained the top lobbying firm in terms of billings, but even it saw less revenue than it did in 2011.

December 13, 2012 | The Center for Responsive Politics looks at the donor demographics for the presidential race, a poll shows Ashley Judd is the favored Democrat to run for Senate in Kentucky and a lobbying firm picks up a big name.

December 12, 2012 | With the final fundraising numbers filed, Barack Obama's leading contributing industry was lawyers and law firms with $27 million, while Wall Street was Mitt Romney's, giving him $21 million.

November 30, 2012 | Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) has been operating under a shadow since shortly after his election in 2010, accused of participating in major campaign finance wrongdoing. But even as his legal troubles continue to mount, Grimm has seen his fundraising efforts thrive and won re-election in his Staten Island district earlier this month.

November 26, 2012 | Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito gives everyone plenty of notice as she announces her 2014 bid for one of West Virginia's Senate seats. Based on its past support, the mining industry is likely to back her in a major way.

November 21, 2012 | Virginia's Mark Warner decides to stay in the belly of the Senate beast, setting the stage for a VERY costly 2014 re-election bid. And the Terps move to the Big 10, along with Rutgers, but both schools already rank highly in terms of political contributions.

November 16, 2012 | Whistleblower protections eaten away by the courts are back -- and yes, there was lobbying on the bill. Meanwhile, the Torch is back, showing up on federal lobbying registration forms for the first time.

November 13, 2012 | The freshly declared victory of the woman who will be the first openly bisexual member of Congress shows the strength of gay rights and women's groups. Also, the evolution of Paul Ryan as a national figure, as seen through campaign finance data.

November 7, 2012 | Some winning challengers yesterday had a cash advantage to neutralize the incumbent advantage, though a couple of races where challengers won the fundraising battle are still too close to call.

October 31, 2012 | Nearly $40 million has poured into the Senate race in Montana, where there are three heads of cattle for every human one. That makes it one of the most expensive contests in the nation.

October 31, 2012 | Earlier this year, the Center for Responsive Politics estimated that the 2012 election would cost $5.8 billion -- an estimate that already made it the most expensive in history -- but with less than a week to go before the election, CRP is revising the estimate upwards. According to CRP's new analysis of Federal Election Commission data, this election will likely cost $6 billion.

October 22, 2012 | With Election Day looming and the need for cash urgent, core constituencies for each of the presidential campaigns stepped up their support in the month of September. But each candidate also made headway fundraising from industries that have been stalwarts for their opponents.

October 18, 2012 | Don't laugh, binders are big business and helped make Romney the wealthy man he is today, while another wealthy man, Mike Bloomberg dives into the world of super PACs head first, and the Ivy League education of two New York Senate candidates.

October 11, 2012 | The Army says it doesn't need any more M-1 Abrams tanks, but it may get them anyway. The company that makes them just happens to be one of the largest contributors to campaigns nationwide.

October 3, 2012 | With less than five weeks remaining until Election Day, conservative super PACs remain on a roll with their outside spending against President Barack Obama. And this week, he's come under attack again.

August 22, 2012 | Two new lobbying registrations this week have ties to Native American tribes, according to Politico. The National Indian Gaming Association and Chickasaw Nation Industries have officially hired Ben Nighthorse Consultants, Inc. and Sprit Rock Consulting, respectively, to represent their interests in the federal government.

August 1, 2012 | The 2012 presidential and congressional elections will be the most expensive on record, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics estimates, though they likely won't beat 2008's number by much. Outside spending, though, is a wild card that makes predictions tricky, and it's clear that it will account for a larger share of the total than ever before.

July 31, 2012 | Restore Our Future follows Priorities USA Action in using the Olympics to talk about Romney, this time in a positive light. But will Olympic officials come down on this super PAC as it did on Priorities? Also, how corporations embroiled in scandal deal with contributions to politicians, and the Teamsters stand strong in the realm of political giving.

July 27, 2012 | The share of Romney's fundraising take from women hits a new low for 2012, while Obama's is again on the rise, and Wall Street falls out of the top five industry donors to the Republican candidate. And the gap between liberal and conservative super PAC spending is narrowing.

July 19, 2012 | The veepstakes is more art than science. Mindful of the fact that Mitt Romney could choose a running mate who's not prominent on anyone's radar screen, we bring you a list of sometimes-mentioned possibilities.

July 16, 2012 | Of all the potential GOP vice presidential candidates who might -- or might not -- be on Mitt Romney's short list, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal might present the biggest contrast with Romney himself.

June 25, 2012 | Voters are poised to go to the polls in Rangel race while Madoff ally J. Ezra Merkin, a big contributor to both Dems and Republicans, reaches a settlement agreement with New York's attorney general. And the Washington Post again relies on CRP data for investigation of how lawmakers rearranged their portfolios during the financial crisis.

June 22, 2012 | But other than the Hollywood bump, the sources of Obama's campaign cash remained fairly static. The president raised nearly $3 million from retired donors in May, a group which has held the top spot for both Obama and Romney for the entire cycle so far.

June 19, 2012 | Howard Rich was behind a slickly produced, anti-Earth Day video this year that's been watched more than 2 million times on YouTube. That's just one product to emerge from his tightly-knit network of tax-exempt groups that pass money back and forth and are active political players. The original donors, though, aren't known. Which is just the way he likes it.

April 24, 2012 | This is no man-bites-dog story. Law firms led the list of top donors to Barack Obama's presidential campaign in March, while top financial firms were the chief backer's of Mitt Romney's bid. And the top industry donating to super PACs: wealthy individuals in finance. Overall, an analysis of OpenSecrets.org data shows, the candidates didn't stray far from their past fundraising patterns: industries that have been well represented in the top ten stayed there, with a few variations.

March 20, 2012 | Blue Dog Democrats are an endangered species on Capitol Hill, but their fundraising suggests they may be clawing their way back with a little help from Democratic leadership PACs, among others.

March 2, 2012 | Welcome to the latest installment of OpenSecrets Blog's Mailbag, where we answer your burning questions about the role of money in politics, political influence and the work we do here at OpenSecrets.org.

February 29, 2012 | January proved to be a financially fruitful month for presidential candidate Rick Santorum, bringing a spike in contributions from individuals in several important industries. See what sectors and industries were the most important to Santorum's campaign.

December 21, 2011 | As we head into the next stretch of the presidential campaign, it appears that Wall Street is betting on red. That's certainly the case with GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's former company, Bain Capital.

November 28, 2011 | Is the lure of the private sector too much for Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas)? Over the weekend, Gonzalez, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a seven-term congressman, announced that he would not seek re-election at the end of his term next year.

November 15, 2011 | Protesters in the Occupy movement have kept their distance from lawmakers, but a few Democratic lawmakers have taken it upon themselves to show solidarity with the protesters by visiting the protest sites in person. Problem is, some of those politicians count themselves among the very same elite 'one-percent' class the movement is railing against.

October 25, 2011 | Though President Barack Obama may no longer be Wall Street's preferred candidate, Obama continues to win the support of several smaller sectors and interest groups, including lawyers, health professionals, the technology industry and Hollywood.

August 25, 2011 | The Obama Victory Fund, a joint fund-raising committee that supports both President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee, raised a total of $39 million during the first half of 2011.
And according to a new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, the Obama Victory Fund has relied on donors on both coasts as well as deep in the heart of Texas.

August 17, 2011 | Many special interest groups have invested heavily in supercommittee members on both sides of the aisle, including the securities and investment firms, the real estate industry and health professionals, according to new research by the Center for Responsive Politics.

August 12, 2011 | Some members of Congress have rallied to defend defense spending with automatic cuts built into the Debt Ceiling Act if the so-called "super committee" should fail and the potential for major cuts in defense spending by the super committee itself.

August 10, 2011 | Late Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced the identities of his three picks for the "super committee" tasked with cutting the nation's debt and spending -- Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

August 3, 2011 | OpenSecrets Blog recently sat down with attorney Trevor Potter, the head of the Campaign Legal Center, to discuss the changing campaign finance landscape. The wide-ranging conversation touched on the seriousness of comedian Stephen Colbert's super PAC, how political speech isn't for "sissies" and how the U.S. Supreme Court is made up of "theorists" who are "not in touch with reality" when it comes to how money is being raised and spent.

July 25, 2011 | Two dozen Floridians have collectively bundled at least $3.55 million for President Barack Obama's re-election efforts, including 15 individuals who did not bundle money on Obama's behalf during his 2008 presidential campaign. Among some of the high-profile new names on the list? Democratic operative Ben Pollara, businessman Stephen Bittel and trial lawyer John Morgan.

July 22, 2011 | One-third of the money President Barack Obama's elite fund-raising corps has raised on behalf of his re-election has come from the financial sector, according to a new Center for Responsive Politics analysis. Individuals who work in the finance, insurance and real estate sector are responsible for raising at least $11.3 million for Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee, according to the Center's research.

July 8, 2011 | Welcome to the latest installment of OpenSecrets.org Mailbag, where we answer your burning questions about the role of money in politics, political influence and the work we do here at OpenSecrets.org.

May 11, 2011 | With a competitive three-way special election just two weeks away in the New York 26th Congressional District, the big-spending conservative super PAC American Crossroads is stepping into the action. And the group's move prompted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to make a big media buy of its own, too.

April 14, 2011 | Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) revealed Wednesday night on Fox News that he is forming an exploratory committee in a quest to potentially seek the GOP presidential nomination. His hang-up? Campaign cash.

March 22, 2011 | Republican Tim Pawlenty, who yesterday launched a presidential exploratory committee, built a massive war chest during the 2010 election cycle to aid fellow Republicans. Who was fueling this money machine?

March 4, 2011 | Which politicians do you decide to support with campaign cash? If you are part of the fraction of one percent of the country's population that donates money to politicians, researchers at Vanderbilt University suggest the answer is the "economically relevant" ones.

February 9, 2011 | Rep. Chris Lee (R-N.Y.), who resigned from Congress this evening after website Gawker published a shirtless photo of the married politico that he e-mailed to a woman he met on Craigslist, had previously enjoyed solid conservative backing, the Center for Responsive Politics finds.

January 27, 2011 | Liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who recently filed a $150,000 lawsuit after biting into an olive pit and sustaining dental damages, has found common cause with tort attorneys before. Since the 1996 election cycle -- when he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives -- Kucinich has collected $57,500 from the political action committee of the American Association for Justice.

January 18, 2011 | After his failed U.S. Senate bid, Florida Republican-turned-independent Charlie Crist has joined the law firm Morgan and Morgan, his top campaign contributor. Morgan and Morgan employees gave Crist more than $98,000 during his run for Senate, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.

November 22, 2010 | The Blue Dogs have elevated Reps. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), John Barrow (D-Ga.) and Mike Ross (D-Ark.) as their new leaders. Which donors and special interests have these men relied upon to fill their war chests?

November 19, 2010 | MSNBC's newest suspension victim is former Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.), the current co-host of the network's "Morning Joe" program. Scarborough's recent political contributions build upon a history of giving to Republican candidates.

November 16, 2010 | In a rare trial, a special House ethics committee panel today convicted Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), the once powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, on 11 counts of violating House ethics policies.

November 10, 2010 | Imagine that every member of Congress represents the industry or special interests that have contributed the most to his or her campaign coffers. Which industries and special interests, then, lost or won seats in Congress during the 2010 midterm election?

October 7, 2010 | Thirteen Tea Party-backed Republicans want the U.S. Senate to experience a new brand of political brew after November 2. The question isn't whether they will or won't, but rather, how many of them will be in office? And donations from people making modest campaign contributions appear poised to play an integral role in propelling them into office.

October 4, 2010 | Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Linda McMahon, who has repeatedly challenged the truthfulness of her Democratic opponent, Richard Blumenthal, has had her own problems with splitting hairs.

September 3, 2010 | David L. Mejias, a domestic violence lawyer and former Democratic congressional candidate who's now running for a New York State Senate seat, faces menacing, stalking and reckless endangerment charges stemming from an incident Thursday with an ex-girlfriend. Mejias, who says he's innocent, also has a history of contributing to prominent Democrats in Congress.

August 25, 2010 | In the final hours before primary election day, a shadowy new political group is comparing Louisiana Democratic Congressional candidate Cedric Richmond to a comic book villain and accusing him of committing all seven deadly sins. Want to know who's funding the attack? Too bad.

July 30, 2010 | A Center for Responsive Politics analysis shows that the biggest contributors to the 49 members of the newly-established congressional Tea Party caucus -- it so far includes only Republican -- are health professionals, retired individuals, the real estate industry and oil and gas interests.
Furthermore, donations from health professionals, oil and gas interests and Republican and conservative groups are, on average, higher for Tea Party caucus members than for members of the House of Representatives in general and even their fellow House Republicans.

July 28, 2010 | Ex-Regulators to Lobby on New Finance Rules: Hundreds of ex-financial regulators are gearing up to lobby the regulatory agencies that will create hundreds of new rules for the nation's bank on behalf of corporate clients, the New York Times reports.

July 26, 2010 | Whether it is because the Congressman is a party leader that can make things happen, or he sits on a committee directly related to the legislation affecting the industry or his votes are usually friendly to the industry's concerns, some industries love some Congressmen more than others--and they show their affection through campaign contributions.

July 23, 2010 | Lawyers and law firms are already on pace to surpass the $146,000 they donated to Rangel during the 2008 election cycle. The industry has have given more than $142,000 to the congressman's reelection campaign this cycle. The American Association of Justice -- the leading association of trial lawyers in the U.S. -- donated $10,000 to Rangel's campaign committee, tied for eighth among his biggest contributors.

June 15, 2010 | If Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-N.C.) ultimately finds himself crosswise with the law after last week roughing up a self-described student journalist on a Washington, D.C., street, he'll also face this political curiosity: the American Association for Justice is his single greatest career campaign donor, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.

May 13, 2010 | Votes are already being cast in the free-for-all special election in Hawaii's 1st Congressional District, and a Republican candidate has emerged with the most cash on hand in the campaign's final stretch. Republican Charles Djou, a city council member in Honolulu, has nearly $170,000 more in the bank than the most well-financed Democratic candidate.

May 5, 2010 | The loss of Obey, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is a blow to Democrats in a year when anti-incumbent sentiment seems to be on the rise. The Appropriations chairmanship is one of the most powerful positions in Congress, and Obey's retirement may kick off a fierce fight between potential successors.

May 3, 2010 | The 90210 zip code is also awfully significant politically, home to plenty of insanely rich folks who really, really like showering their bling on Democrats in particular. We ask: How significant?

April 29, 2010 | Hoards of hired K Street guns are in high demand as President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats seek to implement grand legislative plans. And a Center for Responsive Politics review of recently filed lobbying reports indicates companies, trade associations, unions and other groups spent nearly $1 billion on lobbying during the first three months of 2010.

April 20, 2010 | Goldman Sachs has plenty of lawyers. And it also employs a number of powerful lobbyists, too, to help make its case before a federal government that may be a little less inclined to be chummy with it than it was, oh, a week ago. Hence, our PolitiQuizz question to you this week.

March 31, 2010 | In the hotly contested special election that sent Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate, Brown and his opponent, Democrat Martha Coakley, squeezed their fund-raising efforts into a rapid scramble for money that lasted just weeks, not months.

February 16, 2010 | J.D. Hayworth's Republican primary challenge to Sen. John McCain will be a difficult and expensive endeavor. McCain benefits from a war chest of more than $27 million as well as a host of Republicans both young -- Sarah Palin, Scott Brown -- and veteran -- Dick Armey, Grover Norquist -- ready to campaign on his behalf.

February 12, 2010 | This week has seen a string of high-profile retirements in Washington D.C., including Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and lobbyist Billy Tauzin, the president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). In addition, last month Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) announced his retirement under allegations of ethics transgressions. To cap the week off, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), son of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, announced today in a video on his website that he would not seek re-election after 16 years in the U.S. House.

February 12, 2010 | The economy stunk. Corporations slashed jobs. And some firms, once juggernauts of American industry, simply ceased to exist. But for federal lobbyists, 2009 proved to be a year of riches unlike any other, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.

November 23, 2009 | Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) chairs the powerful Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Dodd is now spearheading new efforts to tackle financial sector regulatory reform. Over the past 20 years, Dodd's most generous campaign supporter has also been the finance, insurance and real estate sector, which is filled with companies directly affected by legislation shepherded by the Banking Committee.

November 19, 2009 | Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) revealed his version of a health-care reform package last night, hoping to win over three moderate Democrats who are on the fence -- Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. All three have collected at least $1.3 million from the health care sector.

November 17, 2009 | Viewed as a champion of regulatory reform, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) is an advocate of new regulations regarding financial markets, products and institutions -- including new regulation regarding credit derivatives, "dark pool" markets and hedge funds. Within the Banking Committee, he is chairman of the securities, insurance and investment subcommittee.

November 16, 2009 | Name: Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). Positions: A fifth-generation Alabamian and University of Alabama alumnus, state loyalty flows through Shelby's crimson blood. So do conservative politics. Party loyalty is another matter.

October 29, 2009 | At least 44 lawmakers have left their congressional seats mid-term since 1990, and at least 16 of them went on to work at lobbying firms or at companies that hired lobbyists, CRP has found. Here, we take a closer look at a few of these individuals, examining which industries and clients they're now representing and the campaign cash they received while in Congress.

October 8, 2009 | Despite a lack of support from key leaders in his own political party, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) said resolutely this week that he has no plans to resign from Congress in the face of accusations that he's deeply embroiled in an ethics scandal. But it's not just his own party's support at risk -- campaign contributors, current and former staffers and even lobbyists may be re-considering their ties to a man who once served as the GOP's primary fund-raiser in the Senate.

September 16, 2009 | Just as Dwight Eisenhower had the Irving Berlin-penned I Like Ike, and Bill Clinton had Fleetwood Mac's Don't Stop, we here at Capital Eye humbly submit the following suggestions for Rep. Joe Wilson's re-election campaign song:

September 8, 2009 | When President Barack Obama gives his much-anticipated speech about health care Wednesday night before a joint session of Congress, he won't likely address medical malpractice reform, much to the chagrin of the country's doctors. Given that health professionals are the second largest contributor this election cycle to candidates and party committees, they might feel slighted by the president's omission.

September 7, 2009 | At this juncture, it isn't entirely clear how ex-con James Traficant would fund a campaign if he makes a political comeback. But a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of Traficant's campaign finance reports indicates that unions, the real estate industry and lawyers/law firms most strongly supported Traficant during his 2000 run for Congress -- before the feds came knocking in earnest.

September 2, 2009 | The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has left Democratic lawmakers scrambling to fill his seat in the midst of intense debate over one of Kennedy's highest legislative priorities -- health care reform. We thought we'd take a look at some of the possible candidates and how their fundraising compares to that of the late senator.

August 20, 2009 | It's a glorious time to be a Democrat if you're hoping for some serious advocacy action from the nation's monied liberal establishments. Through the first half of 2009, left-leaning political action committees have obliterated their right-leaning competition in spending, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal campaign finance data indicates.

August 19, 2009 | Political action committees and individuals associated with health industries, each of which are intimately involved in the nation's ongoing health care reform debate, are donating more to federal candidates during the second quarter of 2009 than the first quarter, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis.

August 17, 2009 | Nearly 1,400 candidates have filed campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission, indicating that they'll be vying for one of the 468 congressional seats that will open up next year. It won't feel like a quick sprint, however, especially for those candidates in particularly close races who've already raised millions of dollars. We know the final stretch is a ways off yet, but here are our early observations, including contributions reported between April and June.

August 6, 2009 | Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) is now an infamous scofflaw who now faces decades in prison after a federal jury Wednesday convicted him of 11 counts of racketeering, solicitation of bribery and money laundering. An ironic footnote: Lawyers and law firms are by far Jefferson's largest campaign donors during his now ruined congressional career, which began in 1990 when he became Louisiana's first elected black congressman since Reconstruction, and ended in December when the embattled politico lost reelection.

July 31, 2009 | Since lawmakers filed their second quarter campaign finance reports earlier this month, our researchers have been busy coding and standardizing the data by organization and industry. Here are some of our overall observations--expect more in-depth analysis next week.

July 17, 2009 | House and Senate leaders last week named 10 members to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, a bipartisan panel that Congress created in May to investigate the causes of last year's financial crisis. The selections include businessmen, ex-lawmakers, and academics who have together donated more than $1 million to federal candidates since 198

June 11, 2009 | For some lawmakers it is never too early to start greasing the money machine. Capital Eye takes a look at some of the new and re-elected senators who are already raising big bucks, even though they won't face another election for six years.

March 25, 2009 | Even as he deals with his own health challenges, as chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has committed himself to focusing on improving the quality and accessibility of American health care. Kennedy's interest in the country's health care issues has brought him money from various health-related industries.

March 12, 2009 | New to the chairmanship this year, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) will have a chance to re-direct the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee as he sees fit. Before this year, Rockefeller's spot on the committee has attracted money from the telecom industry--money that he's gotten some heat for.

February 26, 2009 | Capital Eye's Power Player series continues this week with a look at Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Boxer's top donors include environmentalists, women's rights groups and the entertainment industry.

February 2, 2009 | The GOP has selected former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele to lead its fundraising efforts as the chair of the Republican National Committee. Although Steele lost his 2006 bid for Senate, he raised nearly as much money as his opponent, Congressman Ben Cardin.

January 29, 2009 | While companies across the board were losing record amounts of money and laying off employees last year, at least one industry seemed to weather the recession: lobbying. Special interests paid Washington lobbyists $3.2 billion in 2008, more than any other year on record and a 13.7 percent increase from 2007, CRP has found. Corporations in the finance, insurance and real estate sector and automotive industry actually slowed or decreased their lobbying spending overall last year, relying instead on trade associations to represent them.

January 27, 2009 | Although Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is chair of one of the more powerful congressional committees, he probably isn't the envy of his peers these days with an economic crisis growing larger by the day. Dodd has put in two years as chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and is now charged with shaping legislation to jump-start the economy and help floundering companies, including those that have contributed to his campaigns.

January 15, 2009 | There won't be any corporate advertising on the dais, but a number of major corporations and influential industries will be represented at Barack Obama's inauguration by individuals who've contributed as much as $50,000 apiece--and bundled up to $300,000--to underwrite the festivities. According to a new analysis of inaugural donors by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, individuals associated with Microsoft, Google, Citigroup and many more companies are among the upcoming event's biggest contributors.

January 13, 2009 | As the chair of the defense appropriations subcommittee, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) has been a popular target for the defense industry's campaign contributions. Capital Eye analyzes the money behind the lawmaker who recently replaced Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) as chair of the entire Senate Appropriations Committee.

January 6, 2009 | The 111th Congress started its first session today and the newbies will likely be the most overwhelmed. They will quickly learn what the veterans know so well: the donors and industries that helped you win your seat often expect payback. On OpenSecrets.org we've provided a full list of the freshmen with links to their money profiles.

December 19, 2008 | Labor unions, gearing up for a fierce fight on Capitol Hill next year, will find a fervent ally in Barack Obama's pick for Labor Secretary, Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), who has relied heavily on financial support from unions during her time in the House of Representatives. In total Solis has collected $888,050 from the labor sector since 1999, more than twice what she collected from her next most generous sector.

December 18, 2008 | Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Barack Obama's pick for Secretary of Agriculture, will bring to the position an enthusiasm for the marriage of agriculture and renewable energy that rivals the president elect's. He won't bring with him, however, the ties to campaign contributions from the agriculture industry that other candidates to the post could have, despite his brief bid for the White House in 2007.

December 9, 2008 | Before he was the governor of Illinois who was taken into custody on corruption charges, Rod Blagojevich was a member of Congress relying on lawyers and law firms, unions, finance companies and fellow lawmakers to fund his campaigns. Blagojevich also helped pay for some of his colleagues' campaigns, including a few that are still in Congress.

December 9, 2008 | Republican Anh (Joseph) Cao beat Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat, over the weekend for Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District seat despite Jefferson's incumbent advantage and financial help from his own party.

November 25, 2008 | Under the leadership of New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee collected more than $12.8 million in this election cycle from the securities and investment industry, more than double what Wall Street provided before the New Yorker took over. But for the 2010 cycle, when he'll be up for re-election, Schumer is passing the DSCC baton across the river, to New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez.

November 20, 2008 | By selecting former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) to head the Health and Human Services Department, Barack Obama is tapping the expertise of a man whose political campaigns in the public sector and salary in the private sector have been paid, in part, by the health care industry.

November 5, 2008 | A day after being elected president and acknowledging "the worst financial crisis in a century," Barack Obama asked one of the biggest recipients of Wall Street campaign contributions to be his chief of staff. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois congressman who was an aide in the Clinton White House, was the top House recipient in the 2008 election cycle of contributions from hedge funds, private equity firms and the larger securities/investment industry--not the most popular of industries in the current economy.

October 22, 2008 | The 2008 election for president and Congress is not only one of the most closely watched U.S. elections in years; it's also the most expensive in history. The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics estimates that more than $5.3 billion will go toward financing the federal contests upcoming on Nov. 4.

October 2, 2008 | Like reading tea leaves, one way to predict how a congressional race is going to go is by looking at the disparity in fundraising between the candidates. So far this election cycle, 280 House and Senate incumbents on November's ballot have collected at least 10 times more than the opponent they face in the general election. In this installment of Races to Watch, Capital Eye looks into why some of these incumbents have been such successful fundraisers.

September 29, 2008 | Barack Obama defended his decision not to accept public financing by arguing that running a campaign for the White House based on small contributions accomplishes what the public financing system aims to do but falls short of doing: curb the influence of outside interest groups. In many congressional races, the issue of who's backing the candidate--wealthy donors or everyone else--is finding its way into debates over the best way to fix the economy and whether campaign contributions and lobbying by the financial sector had anything to do with today's economic crisis. Capital Eye takes a closer look at some of these races.

September 25, 2008 | Private interests and members of the public aren't the only ones betting their money on the congressional candidates they hope will win (or retain) congressional seats. Lawmakers in both parties have a vested interest in seeing their own candidates succeed this November, with Democrats wanting to strengthen their majority and Republicans hoping to minimize their losses. Here we look at some of the candidates getting the largest cash infusions from their own parties, indicating a close race.

September 18, 2008 | How did Wall Street's largest firms also become some of the largest donors to John McCain and Barack Obama's presidential campaigns? Take a look at the candidates' rosters of bundlers on OpenSecrets.org, and it becomes clear.

September 3, 2008 | Preparing for a general election in which he cannot collect private donations, John McCain vaulted in front of Barack Obama in fundraising from one of the biggest groups of donors in American politics: the senior set. A new analysis of the Republican nominee's summer fundraising by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has found McCain leading Obama among retired donors almost two to one in June and July, $8.1 million to $4.5 million.

August 28, 2008 | Republicans have their compasses set toward the North Star State, where they will be convening next week for their national convention. Although Minnesota residents haven't favored a Republican president since 1972, the last two presidential elections have been close, and John McCain and Barack Obama are neck-and-neck in fundraising from the state (Obama has raised a mere $233,000 more, out of $3.7 million raised by the two contenders), indicating that McCain might not have as much to overcome here as previous Republicans have.

August 28, 2008 | What does it take to be your party's candidate-of-choice for the Senate even after you've been indicted in a scandal? Apparently it takes $4.2 million and 39 years in Congress already under your belt. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) won his party's primary race Tuesday, despite being indicted for allegedly failing to report $250,000 in gifts from the embattled oil services company Veco. Veco employees have given Stevens $28,500 for his re-election funds. Stevens's competitors in the primary were self-financed and came nowhere near bringing in his haul.

August 26, 2008 | While school was out, college professors and other educators were putting money into Barack Obama's presidential campaign, according to a new analysis of the Democratic nominee's summer fundraising. Educators contributed at least $2.3 million to his campaign in June and July, surpassed only by lawyers, who make up Obama's top-giving industry since the campaign's start, and retirees.

August 23, 2008 | Now that Barack Obama has announced his running mate, reporters will be scrambling to cover every aspect of Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.)--his politics, his personal life, what he adds to the Democrats' presidential ticket and what aspects could make him a liability for the party. At the Center for Responsive Politics, we've strung together our own observations about Biden's campaign fundraising and personal finances.

July 7, 2008 | The fireworks might be tucked away now until the next Fourth of July, but here at CRP we continue to illuminate the money-in-politics scene all year round. Just in the last few days we've been busy updating various parts of OpenSecrets.org using data available from the Federal Election Commission on June 30.

July 3, 2008 | Tomorrow is Independence Day, the time to commemorate the United States's successful revolt against Britain, establishing our own self-reliant government. Well, sort of. While our politicians are no longer answering to the redcoats, they've become awfully beholden to the greenbacks. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 36 current members of Congress have collected at least 20 percent of their contributions from a single industry, setting up a scheme of dependence and perhaps the expectation of a tit-for-tat.

July 1, 2008 | It appears that being the candidate of change doesn't necessarily mean appealing to a new set of donors. New York Times columnist David Brooks used extensive data from the Center for Responsive Politics today to argue that Barack Obama's fundraising base looks a whole lot like those of Democrats past and present.

June 19, 2008 | Here's further evidence that the political significance of the Democratic National Committee's refusal of lobbyists' contributions is greater than the new policy's financial significance: In 2004, federally registered lobbyists—whether they work at lobbying firms or in-house for corporations, trade groups or unions—contributed only about $581,000 to the DNC, or not quite two-tenths of 1 percent of the committee's overall fundraising in '04.

June 9, 2008 | The personal funds Hillary Clinton lent her campaign weren't the only thing that allowed her bid for the presidency to carry on after months of trailing Barack Obama in fundraising. The campaign had the resources to continue in its final stretch in part because it was floating unpaid debts from month to month.

June 5, 2008 | Now that the Democrats have a presidential nominee who refuses contributions from lobbyists and political action committees, the Democratic National Committee is bringing its own fundraising policies in line with Barack Obama's.

April 10, 2008 | Corporations, industries, labor unions, governments and other interests spent a record $2.79 billion in 2007 to lobby for favorable policies in Washington, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has calculated.

December 20, 2007 | More than half of the top fund-raisers for the 2008 presidential candidates come from just three segments of the U.S. economy: law, finance and real estate, according to a new study of these bundlers.

December 6, 2007 | Lobbyists do represent ordinary Americans, as Hillary Clinton claims, but those contributing to her campaign mostly represent big industries, the Center for Responsive Politics finds. Obama and Edwards eschew lobbyists' money, but their biggest contributors still lobby in Washington.

November 15, 2007 | Top industries and interest groups have increased their giving over 2004 by 46 percent, Center finds. As money shifts to Democrats, giving from Republican strongholds is mostly flat.

November 1, 2007 | Exclusive analysis finds lawyers are still the biggest givers to candidates for the White House, but retired contributors have edged out Wall Street. A year before '08 election, Democrats have the edge in nearly every major industry.

April 18, 2007 | New, exclusive analysis on OpenSecrets.org finds attorneys have given candidates the most, but Wall Street's biggest firms top all other companies. Candidates have relied on their personal connections for early fundraising.

March 15, 2007 | U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent 83% more on lobbying in 2006, but overall growth was less than 2 percent. Drug and biotech again topped all industries. ____________________ WASHINGTON – Washington’s influence industry managed to build its lobbying business in 2006, according to an analysis of year-end disclosures by the Center for Responsive Politics, but growth…

October 25, 2006 | This year's intensely competitive election for control of the House of Representatives and Senate will be the most expensive midterm election ever, the Center for Responsive Politics predicts. Candidates, national political parties and outside issue advocacy groups will spend roughly $2.6 billion by the end of 2006 to influence the 472 federal contests around the United States and pad the war chests of incumbents not running this year.

April 13, 2006 | Recent scrutiny of companies that prepare individuals’ tax returns can’t compare to oversight of corporate accountants. The tax-prep industry’s political influence can’t compare either. By Courtney Mabeus April 13, 2006 | It is said that there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. Days before millions of Americans scurry through W2’s, 1099’s and receipts…

March 23, 2006 | GOP activists favor these candidates for the White House in 2008. But who will the money follow? By Courtney Mabeus March 23, 2006 | Republican Party leaders and activists gathered in Tennessee this month, and in a straw poll anointed native son Bill Frist as their chosen one to run for president in 2008. The…

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